


Silence in The Afternoon

by TheQueen



Series: I Loved You (Too Much to Leave) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: #KlangstWeek2017, Angst, Character Death, Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 04:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10482522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueen/pseuds/TheQueen
Summary: Keith Kogane dies Wednesday, 02|05|2017, at 3:35pm





	

Keith Kogane dies Wednesday, 02|05|2017, at 3:35pm

.

9:15am

Lance wakes up to the sound of his alarm beeping under his pillow. Keith groans and taps his shoulder before burying his face in Lance’s back, “Turn it off.”

Lance sighs, turning around so his husband can bury his face in Lance's chest instead. "Come on, babe. You've got that breakfast date with Shiro."

Keith groans, deep and low so Lance more feels it then hears it. “I have regrets.”

Lance laughs and shifts until he’s able to lean down and kiss Keith a good morning. “If you wake up, I’ll make breakfast.”

Keith smiles. “Hmm…. Yeah I can do that.”

.

9:45am

Lance sets a plate of pancakes on the table and laughs at the way Keith’s face lights up, “You’ve got half an hour to meet, Shiro.”

Keith waves away his concerns and starts digging into his plate. “I’ll just drive a lil’ faster,” he says around a mouth full of pancake.

Lance frowns, “You drive too fast as is. One of these days you’re going to get a ticket.”

Keith laughs, “I’ll be fine.” Quietly he passes a little bit of the pancake to Red as Blue looks on longingly. Lance pretends not to notice.

.

10:09am

Lance wishes Keith a good day as he leaves before grabbing his own keys. He doesn’t have work today. He’d decided to take a free day and relax a little. Around noon he had a date with Hunk, but in the meantime he could do errands. They were running low on cat food. And Blue deserved a new bed after ripping up her old one.

And as for groceries… he could do groceries? Keith said he’d be staying late at the lab today. Maybe Lance could make something fancy. It’d been too long since they’d had a chance to properly relax. He could make that chicken curry Keith really liked if he swung by the Indian store on his way to Hunk’s.

As he climbs into his car he receives a text from Keith of a short video. He clicks it and tries to contain his laughter as he watches the camera slowly approach Shiro before Keith’s hand reached out and poked Shiro sharply in the shoulder only for the older man to turn around and scream.

**Lance:**

What did you do

**Beautiful:**

It was amazing.

And completely worth it.

**Lance:**

Be nice to your brother

**Beautiful:**

Never.

Laughing, he throws his phone onto the next set and turns on the GPS. The closest Pet Smart is at least a half an hour away. And there is a Sephora nearby. Maybe he’d treat himself a little?

.

11:37

He’s seething as he steps out, bags clutched too tight in his hand. Who did this bitch think she was telling what he could or could not buy? It was his fucking money. If he wanted to spend it on clothes or nail polish or mascara he had the right too.

Snarling as he wrestled his car door open, he threw his things into the backseat next to the cat food and struggles to pull his phone out of his back pocket so by the time he’s managed to dial Keith’s phone he’s near shaking.

“I hate people,” Lance snaps as soon as Keith picks up the phone. “I actually hate people. I hate people so much right now.”

Keith is silent for a moment and then there is the sound of something moving. Shiro asks where Keith is going. Finally Keith replies after a few moments of silence. “Are you safe?”

“I--,” Lance takes a deep breath. “I’m in my car.”

“Are you driving?”

“No.”

Lance hears Keith sigh in relief, “Okay. I’m here. I’m alone in the bathroom of this stupidly fancy restaurant Shiro has dragged me to. Do you want to talk? Or do you want me to talk?”

Lance bites his lip and thinks for a moment, eyes screwed shut. “I was at Sephora and the woman helping me kept asking me if I was shopping for my girlfriend. And I said no. And she kept insisting I must be buying this stupid mascara bottle for some random woman in my life until I finally told her I was wearing it. And she looked at me like… you know how people look at guys right and I was like ‘what?’ And she said,” Lance pitches his voice high and nasally, “’Oh you’re one of those gays.’”

“What?” Keith asks and Lance can hear him scowling.

“Exactly!” Lance cries, “So then I asked what do you mean? And she got all flustered and shit and tried to cover it up, but I was fuming at this point so I just left with the stupid mascara before one of the employees ran out and said I hadn’t paid. Which I hadn’t. Which is god damn mortifying. So I’m like ‘oops’ but also I’m pissed. So I walk back in and demand to speak to the manager because that can’t be okay, right?”

“Oh no,” he hears Keith mumble.

“But the manager comes out and immediately starts yelling at me about trying to steal the mascara. And then she lets something slip about Mexicans and its just gone from bad to awful.” Lance tries not to cry as he remembers the look on the woman’s face.

“I’m going to kill her,” Keith promises.

Lance tries to feel bad about how happy that makes him. “Finally I get a word in and explain why I stormed out while forgetting I was holding the mascara. And now the lady is all red and embarrassed and pulls a one-eighty. Which is how I ended up with like $160 of free Sephora stuff but also I want to punch something really, really had.”

Keith is silent for a moment before he says, “Please don’t. The last time you broke your thumb.”

It’s the last thing Lance is expecting and he laughs, sharp and bright. “Oh my goooooooood. Let it go, Keith.”

“Never,” Keith laughs, “It was the highlight of my month.”

“I am suffering,” Lance smiles, “I don’t need this from you.”

“You got $160 dollars worth of make up and Allura is going to be at our place all week so you two can try everything out. The only one whose going to be suffering is me,” Keith continues, teasing.

Lance laughs, “Okay yeah… that’s true.”

“I’m always right.”

“Hey!” And Lance wishes he were here. He wants to kiss him, “I never said that.”

“But you meant it,” Keith replies.

Lance rolls his eyes, “Go back to your bro-date, Keith.”

Keith laughs again, “I love you, Lance.”

“I love you, too, Keith.”

.

12:48pm

Keith sends him another photo of him and Shiro standing infront of the ugly statue down town. They still have to find out what it’s actually called.

Lance saves it and sends a photo of himself by the dragon fruit making a stupid kissy face.

.

1:24

Lance pulls out of the parking lot. He might have gone overboard with the frozen meals but he might or might not be craving palak paneer and he deserved it.

His phone buzzes as he turns onto the interstate and he considers for a moment ignoring it before it buzzes again and he swipes open his phone and putting it on speaker phone. “Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Lance Kogane?”

“Yes?” Lance frowns. His GPS tells him to take the next exit and he merges into the far ride lane.

“I am Nurse Mehta from the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. May I please have your date of birth as confirmation?” the nurse asks.

“What? What’s going on?” Lance asks. He takes his exit and slowly pulls onto the side of the road.

“I am unable to tell you too much over the phone without confirming your identity,” Mehta explains.

Lance tells her his number as he opens his texting app.

**Lance:**

I’m not coming over.

**Hunk:**

What’s going on

**Lance:**

I got a call from the hospital.

“Keith Kogane has been brought into and is currently in our care. Please come to the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro,” Mehta pauses for a moment. “As soon as possible.”

**Lance:**

Keith is in the hospital

**Hunk:**

I’ll be right there. Which one?

“Right… okay,” Lance says. “I’ll be right there.”

He feels numb as he closes his phone and starts his car. The GPS comes on and he stares at it blankly before remember he needs to Google the address. His hands are still as he types. Still as he pulls out and rejoins the flow of traffic. Still as he follows directions.

.

1:52pm

He’s not entirely sure how he got here, how he didn’t crash. His heart hurts. His brain feels foggy. Shiro joins him soon. Hunk. And then Pidge and Allura show up. News spreads. His phone starts buzzing. Family and friends and coworkers calling and texting and calling. He can’t handle it. He’s not entirely sure he feels his limbs.

He hands his phone to Shiro and waits.

When he got there they had him sign whatever paperwork was needed and wheeled Keith into surgery. They told him it was a car crash. But less a car crash and more a hit and run.

Keith had been crossing the street and someone blew through a red light and kept going, the officer had explained. The police were looking into it. It had taken ten minutes before the ambulance had been able to arrive. A young woman had called, said someone was hurt and rode in the ambulance holding Keith’s hand.

When Lance arrived, she’d apologized for not being able to do more.

Lance had been too numb to react.

Now she sits a few seats away starring at the ground.

He still doesn’t know her name.

He watches Hunk walk over to her and hand her a cup of water. She thanks him and looks at Lance. He tries to smile. She tries to smile back.

.

2:15pm

Lance watches the clock keep ticking as they wait in silence.

There has been no news.

Shiro takes his hand and squeezes. Allura is praying. Pidge is praying. Lance isn’t sure if this is just a dream.

 _Wake up_ , he wills himself as he watches the minute hand move. _Wake up. Wake up. Wake up._

.

2:48pm

He over hears Hunk asking for an update.

They are told to simply be patient.

.

3:00pm

Lance feels ill. He gets up and rushes to the bathroom. The toilet feels too cold under his hands as he does his best to hold himself up as his body doubles over. He’s going to throw up. He’s going to throw up and he does not want to throw up. He can’t. It’s important he doesn’t throw up. He doesn’t know why, but it is. It is.

If he throws up… If he throws up…

He throws up.

.

3:15pm

Hunk helps him clean up as he cries.

“He’s not going to make it, Hunk.” Lance confesses.

Hunk tries to console him, to comfort. “You don’t know that,” Hunk says. “Don’t give up hope.”

But Lance knows.

He knows.

.

3:23pm

Shiro takes his hand as he sits down in his waiting chair.

They share a look.

They know.

.

3:30pm

Lance closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

.

3:32pm

Shiro starts crying.

.

3:34pm

Lance opens his eyes.

.

3:35pm

Keith Kogane is officially declared dead.

.

3:37pm

Lance Kogane is informed of the passing of his husband

He screams.

**Author's Note:**

> [For Day 4 of Klangst Week!!!](https://klangst-week.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> This was harder to write than I imagined!


End file.
